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One dead in latest election-related clash in Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya’s regional election has been fiercely contested between former regent Yuni Wonda and his running mate Mus Kogoya, and Deputy Speaker of the Puncak Jaya Legislative Council (DPRD) Miren Kogoya and his running mate Wendi.
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Democracy in action: A voter inserts a ballot for the 2024 simultaneous regional elections into a ballot box at a polling station in Sitaro, North Sulawesi, on Nov. 27, 2024. Thirty-seven provinces and more than 500 cities and regencies held simultaneous regional elections on Nov. 27, making it the largest one-day regional election in the country's history. (Antara/Yegar Sahaduta Mangiri)
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t least one person was killed and two others injured in a violent clash between rival supporters of two regent candidates in Puncak Jaya, Central Papua, on Wednesday, marking the latest in a series of election-related violence in the region.
Puncak Jaya Police Chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Kuswara said that the fighting broke out in Muliambut village and quickly escalated into arson attacks that destroyed at least 10 homes in the neighboring villages of Pruleme and Pagaleme.
Kuswara stated that he had requested reinforcements from the Papua Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and The Indonesian Military (TNI) to restore order and extinguish the fires in residential areas. Authorities also collaborated with priests from the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI) to help quell the violent confrontation.
"Police officers and military personnel remain on high alert to prevent further violence," he said, as quoted by Antara.
Puncak Jaya’s regional election has been fiercely contested between former regent Yuni Wonda and his running mate Mus Kogoya, and Deputy Speaker of the Puncak Jaya Legislative Council (DPRD) Miren Kogoya and his running mate Wendi.
The Miren-Wendi pair secured 111,000 votes, or around 56 percent of the 196,000 total votes, during the simultaneous regional election on Nov. 27 last year. Meanwhile, the Yuni-Mus pair received 85,800 votes, or approximately 43 percent of the total votes in the regency.
However, Yuni filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, challenging Miren’s victory after the election. He claimed that Miren's supporters had attacked the local General Elections Commission (KPU) office and forcibly taken voting ballots designated for several districts in the regency.
